Redress
by Team Hanabi
Summary: PMD Sky; Brine Cave. Before moving on, Ichigo wants an apology. Though it might not be the best time…
1. Rebuke

_Notes: Set in the middle of Brine Cave. Contains spoilers for all events up to that point; being familiar with everything that happens in Brine Cave and beyond is advisable, actually._

_This is sort of a 'missing scene' of sorts, because Ichigo isn't the type to let things go so easily._

* * *

If nothing else, Team Skull was good at running. Ichigo swallowed back the flames she hadn't quite had time to spit at them; cathartic as shooting a torrent after them _anyway_ might have been, there was no other point. All it might accomplish would be Chatot chewing her out for wasting her energy, and that was about the _last_ thing she wanted to hear right now.

…Not that he was paying any attention to her at the moment. Squawking indignantly, the parrot turned away from them. Though he probably thought he was talking to himself, his voice was far too loud for that -- but then again, she amended, he **loved** making everyone listen to him **anyway**, so why should that change **now**?

"Those stinking scoundrels… Play **me** for a fool, will they?!"

"C-Chatot… sir?" Laramie piped, watching him flap his wings angrily.

"They won't get away with this! I'll show them what it means to trifle with me!"

She didn't even bother stifling her scoff at that.

"With **you**?" she echoed. "What, you've forgotten about _us_, now? Guess _that's_ not surprising…"

Chatot's head swiveled towards her, confused. --Irritated, too; she saw his brow start furrowing and instinctively _knew_ what he was about to say. But right now, the fire lizard wasn't the _least_ bit interested in another lecture.

"Anyway, don't you think you should apologize now?" she forged on before he could start.

"A… _apologize_?" Taken off-guard, Chatot blinked several times. "What are you talking ab…"

"Oh, don't give me that! You should know _exactly_ what I mean!"

"……" Judging from his blank stare, he didn't have a clue. _Laramie_, however, already had a pretty good idea… But the bulbasaur frowned, concerned.

"Ichigo, I don't think this is the time…"

"Remember? _The Perfect Apples_?" Placing her hands on her sides, Ichigo added, "We _tried_ warning you, you know. But oh no, you couldn't be _bothered_ to listen. So… don't you think you should apologize?"

"……"

Chatot's beak worked soundlessly for a few minutes, until Ichigo started tapping her foot impatiently. The sound appeared to shake him out of his daze, and the parrot drew himself up imperiously, ruffling his feathers.

"…Young lady, this is hardly the time for…"

"**Don't patronize me**!"

Chatot recoiled, eyes widening as Ichigo rounded on him, her bandana casting a slight shadow over the top of her face. Only very recently had he started seeing this sort of hardened expression on her; up to this point, he'd been dismissing it as her 'battle face'. But now that harsh, smoldering glare was directed towards **him**, and he shrank back instinctively from it.

"Ichigo--" Laramie began nervously.

"**Don't**. Patronize us," she hissed; her lashing tail made shadows dance around them. "I'm _sick_ of how you keep talking down to us like we're both **morons**. The only thing I want to hear from you right now is _'Sorry'._ That's all."

Stepping back slightly, she gazed at him expectantly. Waiting for him to answer. Behind her, Laramie shifted his weight uncertainly.

Chatot hadn't realized he'd been holding his breath until he exhaled; it seemed to ring in his ears, sounding… defeated. The mere thought made his face flame, and he quickly drew himself back up, returning her -- returning the _apprentice's_ glare.

"I don't have anything to apologize for! If anything, _you_ should be apologizing -- I mean, _honestly!_ Talking to **me** like--"

"**Shut up!**"

He didn't see her arm move -- only when it stopped did he register the movement, seeing a vine wrapped around her wrist to hold it back. The parrot's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets; she'd nearly…! If her partner hadn't reacted, she would have--!

"Ichigo, _stop!_" Laramie's voice quavered, thickened by tension, and he had to swallow hard before he could continue. "Please, l…let's just go after Team Skull, okay? We… we shouldn't fight… We're all friends, ri…"

"We're not friends." Glaring at her superior, Ichigo added, "Chatot's no friend of ours. Never was."

"………" Chatot couldn't find his voice. Heat flooded his face; though Laramie's vines still held Ichigo's wrist -- though she let her arm drop down -- he still felt like she'd just struck home.

"I-_Ichigo!_" and her partner's tone held some of the reproach he wished _he_ could address her with, though tinged with more shock and surprise than Chatot would have wanted.

"He's **not**," she insisted, glaring at the parrot with undisguised hatred. "He's never done _anything_ to help us -- just lectured and complained and refused to listen to a _single thing_ we had to say. All he **ever** does is take our money and get in the way."

"…That… that's not…"

He trailed off awkwardly, shooting the bird a nauseatingly helpless glance. Where was his stirring defense? Wasn't he going to remind her of everything he'd done for them…?

Unconsciously, Chatot glowered at him, frustrated at his hesitance. Unfortunately for him, Ichigo caught the look, and her own expression darkened.

"_Whatever._ You don't even _care_, right? All you wanna do is run off and whine to the Guildmaster. 'Guildmaster, Guildmaster, they're being **mean** to me! Why don't they _appreciate_ how I treat them like _total __**idiots**_ and blow them off? I mean, they _only_ came back from Apple Woods smelling like Skuntank and Koffing fumes… and then Team Skull shows up with Perfect Apples, and the only place I know to get those is the Woods… how was I supposed to make that sort of connection?'"

"…Y…"

"'After all, _**I**_ know everything!'" Still mimicking his voice, Ichigo barreled on with a nasally "'I'm so _wonderful_ and _brilliant_ and _amazing_, **everyone** relies on me! So _of course_ I don't let anyone else get a word in edgewise -- that'd mean showing them _a shred of __**respect!**_ I want everyone to respect **me**, but I can't be **bothered** treating anyone _else_ the same way! After all, they're all **idiots**, and they should **remember** that! So I _remind them_! **All the time!** _Why_ don't they appreciate that?!'"

"…Y…" Swallowing the knot in his throat, Chatot began again with "You…"

"'Why, oh _why_ don't I get the respect I _deserve_?'" Dropping the impression, Ichigo snarled, "Well, you already **do**. You get **none**. Everyone just _tolerates_ you to keep the Guildmaster happy, because we respect **him**. But not **you**. _Never_ **you**."

He…

…He didn't have to hear this.

He didn't have to hear this. He didn't have to stand for it, didn't have to stand here and take it.

Turning away, Chatot flew deeper into the cavern, ignoring Laramie's dismayed cry. Too little, too late. And he didn't want to hear another word from _either_ member of Team Hanabi right now.

"Chatot…!"

When only silence answered him, Laramie looked back to Ichigo, stunned. Her expression hadn't softened any; the fire lizard merely glared down the tunnel their superior had disappeared into, unmoving and unmoved.

"…I…Ichigo…" Licking dry lips, he ventured, "That was a little… um… harsh…?"

"Not really." Rather than looking directly at him, she opted for shifting through the satchel at her side, reviewing their supplies.

"…Um… b-but…"

"Anyway, let's get going." Shrugging the strap back into a more comfortable position, she added, "'Bout time we go and kick Skuntank's stinking tail, right?"

"B-but Chatot… he--"

"Eh, he'll be _fine_! Sure, he's not even _half_ the explorer he claims to be, but he can still take care of himself. Let him vent for a while, then he'll catch up and be all 'You should respect me because I'm more special than you and _blah blah blah_.' Trust me, his ego needed the bruising… even if it doesn't stick."

"……" Laramie worried the inside of his lip, thinking of the glimpse he'd caught of Chatot's face before he flew off. "I don't know…"

"C'mon! We need to get it back!"

"……" Shaking off his hesitation, Laramie nodded. "Right… Let's hurry."

As always, Ichigo took the lead, her tail lighting the way. As always, Laramie followed, fighting down what he _hoped _was undue concern, trying to trust her judgment. This time, though, it was proving a bit harder than usual.


	2. Review

_Notes: Still exploring Brine Cave. Also contains references to earlier events via flashbacks. Hey, if the game could use them so much..._

* * *

Of all the...! He'd never thought Ichigo could be such a _total __**brat**_...!

Exploring alone had its advantages. It wasn't _optimal_ by any means, and he definitely wouldn't have _chosen_ to fly solo if it hadn't been for that little _temper tantrum_ she's just thrown, but it _did_ mean he could set his own pace now and focus on finding the way down. While avoiding _all_ of the cave's inhabitants was practically impossible, he _could_ avoid engaging them and just keep moving forward. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to waste too much time wandering around before he tracked down **those three**.

_Honestly!_ He didn't know _who_ to be madder at -- Team Skull for being a bunch of lying, cheating, no-good, worthless, _**vile**_ excuses for explorers... or **Ichigo** for being such a hot-headed, snappy, _whiny_ little snot with the _**worst**_ sense of timing. Why, if **only** she'd--!

...Grimacing, Chatot flapped his wings harder, preferring _not_ to consider why his private rant collided with a metaphorical wall at that point. Despite that deterrence, however, he couldn't stop that thought from completing and correcting itself, unbidden and unwanted.

She **had** tried to warn him. **Both** of them had.

Not that it excused how she'd acted back there, of course...! No, _that_ was just a side of her he'd never gotten a chance to see before, the vindictive little _bully_ who just **had** to rub it in that he'd made a _slight_ mistake -- who even resorted to _violence_ when he wouldn't give in. If Laramie hadn't caught her wrist, she'd have flung a lot more than insults in his face.

And the insults were more than enough. Everything she'd said back there... His stomach was still twisting itself into knots over all that **bile** she'd spat. If he let himself dwell on it -- if he _absorbed_ those words, if he took them to heart...

...They cut too close already. They didn't need further consideration.

But his thoughts betrayed him yet again, forcing him to recall what he'd rather keep buried. After all, it hadn't been all that long ago...

***

_Everyone was staring._

_Everyone's eyes were on __**him**__, for once; for once, the Guildmaster wasn't standing beside him, and that was the whole problem, wasn't it? The Guildmaster wasn't __**there**__, and while that __should__ have meant there wouldn't be any __**distractions**__ during the briefing, while that __should__ have made this pre-exploration meeting just a tiny bit easier... That small benefit was more than negated by the fact that... well.__** He wasn't there.**_

_And that meant __**he**__ was in charge for the time being, until Wigglytuff finished whatever business had kept him away overnight and rendezvoused with the rest of them. A sure sign of just how much the Guildmaster __**trusted**__ him -- no, trusted __**all**__ of them to stay safe without his constant guidance -- not that he was normally the most __**hands-on**__ Guildmaster, but..._

_But..._

_Everyone was staring at him._

_Normally, he would have been glad for the attention. Normally, he would lead the apprentices in their morning cheers and send them on their way, or give them their instructions for the day before sending them off. He was trying to do that __now__, in fact, except... this time, they wouldn't disperse with a wave of his wing. This time, they were all going to be traveling together, moving en masse to their destination._

_Brine Cave._

_Was the Guildmaster already waiting there for them? Surely he hadn't gone in __alone__ -- despite his quirks, if __**anyone**__ knew the dangers of exploring alone, especially exploring __there__ alone, it was Wigglytuff--!_

_Everyone was staring at him._

_A quick scan of their faces revealed doubts. The recruits tended to be __very__ easy to read; only Croagunk proved difficult to pin down, because that frog laughed at __**everything**__. Even now, he was quietly chortling to himself, and Chatot had __no__ idea what that could mean..._

_But the others..._

_Ichigo was staring at him. Normally so bright and cheerful, she stood still and silent, save for the crackling fire topping her tail. Her expression... he couldn't quite read it, but she wasn't __**quite**__ frowning. Or smiling. Or anything beyond... __**staring**__. Just... watching him._

_Laramie__, on the other hand, __**was**__ frowning. And fidgeting, and looking generally uncomfortable. Those big red eyes were filled with worry, conflict, concern... an odd contrast with his partner's not-quite-glare. If __he__ was able to read her mood, well, it wasn't really helping __Chatot__ at all..._

_Bidoof looked just as conflicted, his broad face marred by a frown. In that, at least, he was a match for everyone else. Even __**Sunflora**__ was frowning -- even __**Chimecho**__ looked nervous, flitting about in place the way she was. And __**Loudred**__ -- the very fact that he was __**quiet**__, just __**staring**__ at him like that...!_

_Didn't they have any confidence in him at all?!_

_He hadn't meant to ask, but the words came tumbling out anyway, much to his chagrin. Even as they stumbled to correct him, the specter of that silence hung heavy over them, though he shoved such thoughts to the back of his mind. No, their words __**didn't**__ ring hollow -- it was all his __**imagination**__, right? And now wasn't the time to be wallowing in doubts -- the Guildmaster was counting on them! No, the Guildmaster was counting on __**him**__!_

_Ichigo stayed silent the whole time. She offered no comfort, no words of encouragement, hollow or otherwise. She simply __**stared**__._

***

_**That**_ should have been a sign, Chatot decided -- but of what? That she _didn't_ trust him? Or that she was still bitter? He'd suspected she was still a bit annoyed by her past failure, but--

--A walrein was sleeping right next to the tunnel leading north out of this chamber. Chatot paused, taking a moment to consider his options. Backtracking to take another path seemed practical, but there was also a chance of running into any wandering pokémon who'd picked up his trail. Maybe he could make his way over to the eastern exit without waking him... or would it be faster to just fly past and let the ice breaker wake up to an empty room?

...Prudence seemed best in this instance. Gingerly, Chatot made his way to the eastern side, watching the snoring walrus intently. Had he been traveling with anyone else, he might have seen fit to challenge the beast and drive him off, but as things stood, he needed to exercise extra caution.

Particularly since he hadn't brought any of his _own_ supplies... A shameful oversight, certainly. But then again, he'd trusted Team Hanabi to handle those preparations; they needed more _practice_ than he did, right...? And the Guildmaster had made clear before leaving that they were in charge of their little group -- Chatot was serving as their _escort_, not their **leader**.

He'd been respectful to them _then_, hadn't he? He'd gone along with their wishes, letting them wander wherever _Ichigo_ led, even if it wasn't the most **direct** of paths... For some reason, she had a tendency to _wander_, and Laramie just tagged along behind her quietly. Not precisely the way he'd pictured their exploration to go, and _certainly _not the way he would have _chosen_, particularly given the **importance** of their mission, but...

But he'd gone along with it, hadn't he? Didn't that count for anything?

Apparently not. Apparently Ichigo had a faulty memory, recalling only whatever supported _her_ nasty point-of-view. Just like before...

***

_"...Wait."_

_She'd hardly spoken two words to him since they'd arrived, and now Ichigo's arm was being thrust in his face while she glared steadfastly towards the chamber before them. After a bit, she turned, muscling past him._

_"C'mon. We'll find another way."_

_"What?!" From where they were standing, Chatot could see a few treasures scattered along the floor; right __there__ was a Blue Gummi, and beyond that a small pile of Poké just waiting to be claimed..._

_"C'mon, bird."_

_Bird__? __**Bird?!**__ Not 'Chatot' or even 'sir', but '__BIRD__'?! Choking on the sudden disrespect, Chatot drew himself up and 'harumphed' loudly._

_"Honestly, we've __been__ down all those paths __already__, so this is __**obviously**__ our way forward..." he began, stepping into the open._

_"__**You idiot!**__"_

_He wasn't __entirely__ sure if that was the charmander; it sounded too harsh, too deep, and was partly drowned out by the skittering and snarling of wild pokémon clambering out of the water and out of their hidey-holes. Mostly kinglers and omanyte, from what he could see; he couldn't manage more than a quick scan of the rapidly-filling room before something slammed into him from behind and a disorienting flash engulfed him._

_"__**Ichigo!**__"_

_How pleasant; Laramie might as well have screamed that directly into his __ear__. Trying to steady himself, he threw out a wing and immediately felt a wall; shaking his head cleared it enough that he could see that yes, he was indeed facing a wall. And Laramie was standing right next to him, though the bulbasaur was all but bouncing on his heels trying to see __past__ him..._

_...Ah. Ichigo must have used a Switcher Orb. Which meant..._

_"__**Aaaugh!**__"_

_Not only was she already fighting, the charmander was clearly more than a little outmatched, to the point where she'd already backed up to stand before the tunnel where they were. And there she stood her ground, crouching into a defensive position, tail lashing wildly behind her. An omanyte to her right attempted to roll into her, only to be swatted aside and knocked into its buddy._

_But with Ichigo standing right __there__, they couldn't squeeze past and __**help**__ her..._

_"Ichigo! Move!"_

_Completely ignoring him, Ichigo opted for a wide slash, leading with her claws before swiping her tail at the kingler and omanyte ahead of her. While this successfully warded three of them off, two breaking away for a desperate retreat, the two water-types __flanking__ her took advantage of her temporary distraction to get some free strikes in. A well-aimed water gun at her backside made her screech, then whirl to face the offender, flames already building in her mouth._

_"Ichigo!"_

_Laramie prodded Chatot from behind, trying to nose past him for a better look at the carnage. Not that there was much point in letting him past; the grass-type would've had a better shot at taking down the hordes, but if __**Ichigo**__ wasn't willing to move... or didn't have a place __**to**__ move herself, given how others pressed in to take the place of their fallen brethren._

_Bravely as she fought, she was still outmatched -- the best counter for a bad matchup was experience, and she was still only an apprentice, after all. But his breath still hitched when two bubblebeams washed over her, one after another, and she __**screamed**__ -- a horrible, shrill, strangled thing -- before collapsing._

_His heart jumped as a sunburst of light erupted around her -- then she lurched to her feet, snarling. As she launched another gout of flame, a small, cracked seed fell beside her, barely noticeable. Chatot only happened to spot it because of how closely he was watching._

_A Reviver Seed. Of course. She must have been expecting to face water-types here and planned accordingly._

_Still, that didn't explain her remarkably poor strategy when it came to this Monster House. Why wouldn't she let any of her __**friends**__ join the fight? If only she'd given them a chance to enter, that seed might not have been wasted..._

_But she didn't move. Only when all of the wild pokémon had been driven off did she step forward, and even then she hardly acknowledged them. Instead, she immediately went to collect the candy and money littering the room, barely even acknowledging how Laramie scampered to her side._

_"Are you okay?" Already digging through their satchel, the bulbasaur added, "Do you need any Orans, or..."_

_"I'm fine." Shallow scratches covered her arms, chest and side, and her breathing was still ragged, winding down along with the adrenaline, yet she still smiled and shook her head, denying any offers of help._

_...Just what exactly was __**wrong**__ with her?!_

_"You should be more careful!" he informed her, fluttering his wings for emphasis. "You can't just take on the world alone, you know!"_

_"......"_

_His only reward for that advice? A blank, cold stare, just like the one she'd given him back at the guild. Then she returned to gathering up the spoils from her battle, without so much as another __glance__ his way before heading towards the exit. Only __Laramie__ looked between them, concerned, before bounding off after his partner._

***

She didn't listen.

Had she _ever_ listened? The only time he could actually recall her _obviously_ heeding his words was back when they'd first joined the guild. Back then, she'd paid close attention to his instructions, all wide-eyed innocence and oh-so-_very_ eager to please... So why, exactly, had that changed? Pinning it on the Perfect Apples seemed too _simple_, somehow... too _easy_. Surely there was more to it; surely it wasn't _just_ the silly apples that turned her from a cheerful apprentice to a cynical, hateful child...

...Besides, even if that _was_ the case, he mused while descending the stairs, it wouldn't be so simple to _fix_. Not after how she'd acted back there.

If she'd asked for a nice, _private_ apology after they'd finished their business here, back in the safety and security of the guild, then he would've gladly given it to her. In fact, she likely wouldn't have needed to _ask_ -- all he needed was a bit of time to absorb his mistake, and he would've corrected it on his own. But she hadn't given him the _chance_. It was just all "RAWR GROVEL BEFORE ME YOU STUPID BIRD RAWR SNARL SPIT!"

...Okay, he knew that was probably exaggerating a _little_. He didn't particularly _need_ the memory of Laramie's torn expression to pop back up right now.

But she'd been so _**rude--!**_ If only...

"......uuuughh..."

Startled, Chatot hurried towards the groaning, and quickly discovered the source: three _unpleasantly_ familiar pokémon. Not long before, he would have been glad to see them -- even _welcomed_ them warmly, just as he had just recently. Now he would have been glad to see them, but for very _different_ reasons...

...If not for their wounds.

_Something_ -- some_one_? -- had given the poisonous trio a thorough work-over, leaving all three in bad shape. Koffing lay half-deflated, leaning heavily on his bad side... but Chatot could still see the puncture wounds, and the edge of at least _one_ of the gashes that had stolen away his air and left him grounded. Zubat was hardly better; a particularly deep slash threatened to detach his right wing if he so much as _twitched_ it wrong, so it lay useless beside him. And as for their leader... Skuntank's thick fur made it difficult to judge how severe _his_ injuries were, but the massive skunk was lying very, very still.

...Had...

...Had _Ichigo_ done this? Could Team Hanabi have gotten ahead of himself somehow, caught up with Team Skull, and... and _ravaged_ them this way?

"...It... It serves you right, you scalawags!" Forcing down any semblance of concern, Chatot straightened -- he couldn't show sympathy. Not to _these_ three. If Ichigo had taken her pound of flesh out of their thieving hides, t-then...

"...Ch..." A yellowed, red-rimmed eye cracked open and fixed upon him, and a hoarse laugh rattled from Skuntank's throat. "...Cha...aw-haw... C...come to mock us... bird?"

"B-be quiet!" The anger swelled up on its own now, and Chatot let that venom drip from his tone as he spat, "After all you've done... The way you abused my trust!"

"...Your... trust...?"

The dark-type's body shook with poorly contained laughter... no, that was wrong. He wasn't trying to hide his amusement at all. It was just that his _wounds_ made laughing painful... but that wasn't going to stop him from mocking the parrot.

"Al... Always about _you_, isn't it...? Ch-chaw-haw... haw..."

"......" Ruffling his feathers, Chatot opened his beak to spit out a scathing retort... but nothing came. The words didn't die on his tongue so much as he couldn't think of the _perfect_ way to respond. Before anything good came to mind, another strained chuckle reached his ears.

"...Whoa... ho-ho...! H-he was the _only_ o-one w... who actually _trusted_ us, r-right... Boss?"

"Y-yeah... No-one else... O-_only_ him..."

"Chaw-haw-haw! H-him and _Wigglytuff_! Thanks to that Perfect Apple..."

"...Th-that apple..." Chatot almost _cursed_; to finally find his voice only to echo **that**! "That was..."

"D-doubt it was _half_ as good as all the others, though," piped Zubat. "I mean, it _was_ one of the smaller ones..."

"W-whoa-ho...hoo...! Food's _always_ b-better when you sneak it!"

"That's right! We never _did_ thank your guild for the wonderful _feast_ we gave ourselves!"

"......" Chatot's head was spinning. He needed a moment -- a wall or a stone he could steady himself against. But there weren't any nearby, and to move to one -- to seek one out would be showing weakness. Would let them know just how much their taunts _affected_ him.

"_Two_ feasts, in fact! First in your larder, then at Apple Woods while waiting for those _weaklings_ to show up!" Skuntank's grin was pained, but his voice was almost purely gleeful as he declared, "The _looks_ on their hapless faces when they saw us...! And then..."

He trailed off into a hacking fit, but plastered another wicked smirk onto his face before finishing "Then _you_ did all the rest. T... _thanks_ so much."

"......"

He couldn't stop shaking. And his voice was betraying him again -- his throat had managed to dry out _despite_ the bile threatening to rise instead of the perfect retort, and he couldn't _think_... didn't know what to say. How could they... how _could they...?!_

"W-we should've done more during our li... our little _expedition _together. M...maybe taken out that stuttering Corphish after he led us to that s-statue... Or gotten that stupid _beaver_ or the shrieking _flower_ alone and..."

"S-stop! Don't..." Hissing through his beak, he snapped, "Don't threaten our precious apprentices!"

"Ch... _chh_. D-don't make me laugh... Weaklings, _all_ of 'em."

"They're not weak!" An edge of vindictive glee crept into his tone as he added, "After all, it's clear _Team Hanabi_ wiped out the lot of you, so..."

"Haaaa..._Hanabi?_ Ch-chaw-haw... T... _This_ wasn't _them._"

"...What?" Blinking rapidly, Chatot protested, "But..."

And then he remembered.

How could he have forgotten?! In all the fuss, between finding out the truth about Team Skull, Ichigo's accusations, and all the rest, he'd -- he'd actually _forgotten_ that...

...He...

He had to clear the way.

He had to make sure -- if Team Hanabi _had_ gotten ahead of him, then--!

"...H...hey...!"

But Skuntank's protest fell on deaf ears as Chatot took off deeper into the heart of Brine Cave, no longer having any time to waste on the skunk or his lackies. Much more pressing matters lay at hand...


	3. Revise

_Notes: More flashbacks, and more spoilers for Brine Cave._

_

* * *

_

_"...Do you think... he'll hate us now?"_

_Startled, Ichigo whirled to face her best friend. Laramie wasn't even looking at her; the grass-type was too focused on the ground, trudging along with his gaze locked downward and his mind lost on a far nastier route._

_"What? No way!"_

_"But this was for the Guildmaster... The Guildmaster's... mmnh." He __**still**__ didn't know what Chatot had said back then, but a dismayed grunt seemed to fill the void well enough. "His __very __**important**__ mmnnph."_

_Brow and bandanna furrowing, Ichigo reminded him, "But it's not our fault! Team Skull ate all the Perfect Apples!"_

_...Or, at least, the ones they might have been able to __reach__. Despite Laramie's resignment after Skuntank and his flunkies had escaped, Ichigo had insisted they at least __**try**__ and find some apples. But the poisonous trio had been very thorough; all of the lower boughs and branches had been picked clean. Though there __might__ have been some left higher up, none of their current team were exactly built for climbing. Ichigo's build came the closest to what they needed, but there was always that flame on her tail to worry about... In the end, she'd decided not to risk it. No sense taking the chance of setting something ablaze while trying to claw her way up... The Guildmaster might be sad to hear they'd failed, but that was better than having to report they'd accidentally torched the trees._

_"We'll just explain what happened. So don't worry. When he hears what __**those guys**__ did, Chatot'll know what to do!"_

_"...Are you sure...?"_

_"Positive!"_

_Laramie still didn't look too convinced, so Ichigo smiled brightly, giving him a playful little nudge. The poor guy was so __**negative**__ sometimes...! He didn't need to be so hard on himself all the time..._

_But it was okay. Once Chatot heard about this, Team Skull was in for one __**nasty**__ wake-up call. And it wasn't like they could just lie about it, either - for one thing, they all still reeked. One sniff and Chatot'd __know__ they'd run into some stink-spraying pok_é_mon, and none of Apple Woods' fauna qualified. So when he found out what happened..._

_"C'mon! Let's hurry!"_

_With that, she picked up the pace, trusting he'd follow. Sure enough, the grass-type soon matched her, and their companions hurried along after them as they made their way out of the mystery dungeon. Laramie still looked concerned, but at least he was smiling again, however wanly._

_The sooner they got back, the sooner they could explain everything, and Chatot would help fix things. So they hadn't gotten any apples; that couldn't be helped. What __could__ be helped, though, was Laramie's self-confidence. Once Chatot reassured him that the world wouldn't come to an end just because they hadn't finished a mission due to circumstances beyond their control..._

But that hadn't happened, had it?

He hadn't listened. And he never _would_ listen, because that would require him actually _caring_ about what they had to say. Not very likely. She got that much now.

The tentacools, staryus, dragonairs and walrein around here didn't really have anything to do with them. They just made a great way to vent.

_Two words_. Just _**two **__**words**_, and she'd have let it go. Heck, even just _**one word**_ and she'd have been happy. But _no_. As much as he _loved_ running his beak off, he couldn't manage a single '**sorry**'.

And what had she gotten instead?

_"I don't have anything to apologize for!"_

She'd flat-out told him not to patronize her, and _that_ was how he reacted? By being even _more_ of a self-absorbed _jerk__?_

_"If anything, __**you**__ should be apologizing - I mean, __**honestly!**__"_

In other words, not only did her opinion not matter, but he expected her to _beg his forgiveness_ just for subjecting him to it. Like she had no _right_ to want an apology for how he'd treated her - treated _them_. It didn't matter that he'd screwed up; in **his** mind, expecting him to _acknowledge_ his mistakes was much worse.

What a _creep_. What a total, unashamed _jerk_. No _wonder_ he'd gotten along so well with Team Skull - and that the only thing he cared about now was how they'd - gasp! - _insulted __**him**_. Everything else they'd done just couldn't _compare_ to _that_ crime, apparently.

A staryu spun towards her from the right; digging her feet into the dirt, she took the blow, then slammed a fist right into its blinking jewel. There was something oddly satisfying about the jagged furrow left in its wake as it skidded away.

"Ichigo...!"

Turning, she automatically smiled at her partner. Laramie didn't smile back. Instead, a vine slipped into their satchel and pulled out a berry, which he thrust before her nose.

"Here." Not _quite_ a command, and the resolve in his eyes was tempered by more than a little worry. _That_ was what made her accept the offering more than anything else.

Plus, she had to admit - privately - that she probably needed the pick-me-up. Biting the berry in half, she almost couldn't contain a slight shiver as the refreshing flavors washed over her tongue. For a second, she was more acutely aware of her wounds; each scratch and scrape seemed to _tingle_ briefly before fading back to being less noticeable.

"Thanks..." and her smile was still automatic, but with a touch more behind it. This one he returned, though his faded quickly back into concern.

"...Hope he's doing okay..."

Ichigo knew she shouldn't feel irritated by that. Laramie was just being... well, _Laramie_. Always worrying about others, always second-guessing himself... wondering if he could do better... So it wasn't surprising he was worried about that _stupid bird_. Never mind that, if their positions were reversed, Chatot clearly wouldn't worry about _them_...

"He'll be fine. Don't worry so much," she soothed, clapping a hand on the back of his bulb.

"But... I don't think he has any berries or anything, and..."

"Then he'll probably pick up stuff along the way. Not like this cave's totally empty, you know."

"...I know..." Shuffling his feet, Laramie insisted, "But I still..."

"Hey, he's been here before, right? Probably knows his way around better than we do." Not that his experience had been all that helpful when they _were_ together, but Ichigo knew better than to point that out right then. "And if he _really_ needs help, he'll probably just track down some of the others."

"...You think so...?"

"Yup! Now, we should get moving ourselves, right?"

"...Right!"

Once more she took the lead. From the moment Laramie had pointed out that opening on the beach and she stepped in ahead of him, they'd _always_ traveled like this: Ichigo taking point while her partner followed right on her heels. While the bulbasaur was braver than he gave himself credit for, he was also much more comfortable with long-distance fighting; Volleys of sharp leaves and balls of verdant energy were his forte; close combat spiced with the odd flame torrent was more _her_ style.

So it was only natural that she stick with what worked and forge ahead, heedless of whatever challenges might lie up ahead. So what if she might have a bit of a disadvantage in such wet terrain? Wasn't like Laramie couldn't just lob some shots _past_ her if need be.

Chatot had nothing whatsoever to do with it.

She wasn't worried about him. Definitely not.

Actually, his being gone was _great!_ Stupid bird'd thrown off their rhythm before. Bad enough they'd been stuck with a so-called _'guide_'; in practice, she'd still been up in front most of the time, but their much-vaunted head of intelligence kept wedging himself between them, bubbling with unwanted advice and constant criticism.

_"Careful, now! You're at a big disadvantage here! Don't get yourself soaked!"_

_"Ah, don't forget to pick those up!_"

_"I'm sure this isn't the right way. Come on! Don't waste time!"_

_"SQUAWK! Watch your tail, Ichigo! You almost hit __me__!"_

Annoying bird. Hardly ever shut up, and never thought to actually _listen_ to anyone else...

_"...Wait."_

_Ahead of them, the narrow pathway opened up into a wider patch of dryer ground, littered with trinkets and treasures. ...A few too __many__ for her liking. The whole setup __**reeked**__ of somebody's lair, or worse: an actual set-up._

_Did wild pokémon ever __intentionally__ try to lure travelers in? Ambush-happy outlaws didn't count, but Ichigo wasn't entirely clear on just where all the random mons they met in dungeons came from, either. Most were probably native to the general area, but did they just live __here__...? Or did they come in looking for a __**challenge**__, just like the explorers...?_

_...Either way, she didn't feel like risking it. If it was just her and Laramie, or if they had teammates she __trusted__, then maybe... but that was a moot point now._

_"C'mon. We'll find another way."_

_"What?"_

_Turning in tight spaces was tricky enough at the best of times; having wings fluttering against the side of her face wasn't helping much. Ichigo very pointedly didn't look at him while squeezing past, not wanting to deal with any feathers in her eyes._

_"C'mon, bird."_

_He tensed up against her. She ignored it, focusing instead on getting to her partner. The bulbasaur was already backing up obligingly, clearing enough space._

_"Honestly, we've __been__ down all those paths __already__, so this is __**obviously**__ our way forward..."_

_Suddenly, she was acutely aware of __empty space__ behind her; glancing past her, Laramie's mouth dropped open, forming the start of a warning - too late. She didn't even have to turn to see what was happening, but whirled about anyway, furious._

_"__**You idiot!**__"_

_No time for more than that. Already company was crawling out to greet them, growling and grumbling over the disturbance. Reaching into the satchel round her partner's neck, Ichigo rummaged without looking until her claws closed around smooth, cool glass. Thankfully, they hadn't brought many orbs, so she didn't have to waste time checking what she'd snagged before letting it fly._

_Heh. Square in the back. Served him right._

_One burst of light later and she had a fraction more room to work with - and immediately spent it backing up, sealing off the path back to her pals with her own body. Ideally, she would've liked a __little__ more leeway; say, enough to put some nice, solid walls on either side of her as well. That was __**normally**__ how she played crowd control._

_But Chatot was right behind her, and the stupid bird wasn't budging._

_Okay, then. She could do this._

_Even with Laramie too far back to effectively cover her, thanks to a certain parrot blocking the way, she could do this._

_Even without somebody reliable like Yuko at her back - or Marcy to go charging into the center of things and play distraction-slash-cleanup - she could do this._

_Even with tentacools spitting acid, kinglers snapping their claws, and beady-eyed omanyte spitting water at all sides..._

_Right. Just focus on what's in front of you at any given moment, Ichi._

_Of __course__ she was outmatched; she knew it, and these wild ones clearly knew it too. She didn't need Chatot's screeching 'advice' to realize it._

_'Move', he said - where to?_

_Despite half-expecting it, the dual blasts of disturbingly __warm__ foam washing over from behind still made her shriek - water wasn't supposed to make cuts __**sting**__ like that, wasn't supposed to __**hurt**__..._

_Black spots burst like bubbles before her eyes, only partly dispelled by another burst of light. Though her body was still screaming at her, Ichigo ignored it, throwing herself headlong back into battle. All those lingering aches and pains could wait until there wasn't any immediate threat of __more__ coming her way._

_And when it was all said and done, what did she hear?_

_"You should be more careful! You just can't take on the world alone, you know!"_

_It took almost all the self-control she had left not to snipe back that with someone like __him__ at her back, she __**had**__ to._

He wouldn't have listened, anyway.

Had he _ever_ listened? Nothing immediately came to mind. Maybe when they'd first signed up, he might have been open to questions, but for all she knew, he just recited some bog-standard basics and expected that to be the end of it. Certainly he wasn't there to help when they needed it.

They were better off without him. The whole Guild would be better off without him. How anyone put up with him - how **Wigglytuff** dealt with the condescending know-it-all - was beyond her.

Caught up in her thoughts, the lizard took the steps before her two and three at a time, hardly paying them any attention. Behind her, Laramie moved more slowly, picking his way down.

"...Ack, it's so humid..." he murmured, more to himself than to her. He shook his head, then abruptly perked up. "Hey, you hear that...?"

She hadn't. Now that it'd been pointed out to her, though, the groaning was impossible to ignore. Sounded too low-pitched to be _him_, but...

"H-hey, wait!"

Laramie clambered after her; dimly, she could hear him struggling to catch up, but the moaning and muttering up ahead was more important. That annoying bird; if he'd only just-!

...Oh.

Ichigo stopped short, giving her partner more than ample time to catch up while she drank in the tableau before them. Now the lower pitch made a bit more sense, even if the scene itself was taking its time to properly process.

"...Ah! It's Team Skull!"

Boy, was it ever. Didn't look much like themselves at the moment, though. Still, Ichigo couldn't help thinking this actually suited them _better_ in some ways. The creeps _deserved_ to be wallowing in the mud, bruised and bloodied with some of that hot air _finally_ knocked out of them.

...Maybe not this much, though.

"W...what happened?" Paling, Laramie stumbled on with his own theory: "D-did you get ambushed by a bunch of mysterious pokémon? O-or maybe..."

"Whoa-ho... You knew about that?" Koffing's voice cracked, yet oddly he sounded more amused than annoyed. "Would've been good to know that..."

"Not that you'd... tell us... heh-heh."

"..."

Ichigo found herself averting her gaze from the bat - or rather, from his wing. Or what was left of it. She heard Laramie fussing over Skuntank, and the surprise beneath his sarcastic reply, but half-tuned it out in favor of scanning their surroundings. If whatever had done this to them was still around...

...If it came back, she wasn't looking forward to staging a fight _here_. Not with these three lying in the way. Oh, they probably wouldn't be stupid enough to try anything - then again, this was _Team Skull_ they were dealing with. A wounded, beaten Team Skull, but still the same monsters who got a kick out of kicking them around. She couldn't completely write off their chances of a backstab.

Movement caught her eye, and she saw the relic fragment roll back to rest by their feet.

"Whoops. It slipped."

Funny how Skuntank was normally better at faking than that.

Still, that was one last thing to worry about. Better than having to pry it out of his paws while Laramie looked on and fretted about _hurting_ him. Not exactly the sort of grand confrontation she'd been expecting, but...

"...should be worried about Chatot instead."

"...!" Involuntarily, she snapped around to stare at the skunk. "What?"

"He went deeper... He's going after those enemies..." Meeting her gaze with a lopsided leer, he prompted, "You two should get going, too."

Like she needed him to tell her what to do.

"Laramie...!"

"Yeah, I know!" Scooping up his treasure, Laramie cradled it with a vine while sliding it into their knapsack. "S-Skuntank, you... you be careful, too! Be sure and get out!"

"Chaw... Don't patronize me, brat."

"Tsh." Feeling her lip curl, Ichigo sniped, "Just give us a yell if you need help getting up, 'kay? This shouldn't take long."

With that, she charged past them, knowing Laramie would be right behind her. ...And that the stupid bird was dead ahead, too. Hopefully he hadn't gotten himself killed already. She wasn't relishing the thought of having to explain _that_ to the Guildmaster...


End file.
